Rejected marigolds: varieties and growing rules

For decorating a personal plot, as well as creating landscape design, flowering crops have always been especially in demand. The popular representatives of such plants include rejected marigolds, the features of which allow you to create beautiful flower beds and flower arrangements in the open field with their help.

Marigolds, in light of their high decorative qualities, are in great demand in projects related to landscaping and decoration of territories. The American culture, however, is planted outdoors, on window sills and loggias around the world. In the wild, flowers can be found in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina. Tagetes is the second name for a blossoming culture... It is found in horticulture and floriculture in a large number of hybrid species and varieties, among them are plants of French origin - rejected marigolds (Tagetes patula L).

Annuals form an erect stem, the height of which can vary from 15 to 50 centimeters, in addition, the culture develops side shoots deflected to the sides, which gave rise to the name of this flower. The main difference from erect species is precisely the structure of the stem. In the latter, it stiffens with age, after which one flower develops on it. The difference is also observed in the size of the culture and the diameter of the flowers. The green mass of marigolds is dissected, with lanceolate lobes and serrated edges. Leaves can grow on shoots alternately or oppositely.

The inflorescence is presented in the form of a small basket, the diameter of which is no more than 6 centimeters. The flower wrapper consists of one row of accrete leaves with sharp tops. Marigolds bloom with orange, yellow, brown-brown, maroon, vanilla-cream, lemon flowers, in some species the color may be two-colored. After flowering, the seed pod ripens in the plant.

Rejected marigolds do not stand out for special requirements regarding growing conditions, however, the appearance of the crop, especially in the flowering phase, will directly depend on the level of illumination of the place where it is cultivated. Due to their endurance in any conditions, such flowers are very often planted near highways, as well as in infertile soil. Most varieties are frost-resistant, therefore they retain their viability even during the period of spring or autumn night temperature drops to minus marks.

Since rejected marigolds include several dozen varieties of flowering crops, it is customary to divide them into a number of groups. The classification is based on the size of the plant:

• high annuals - more than 60 centimeters, with non-double inflorescences;
• average - not exceeding half a meter in height, with double inflorescences;
• low - plants ranging in size from 20 to 40 centimeters, with different types of inflorescences;
• midgets - no more than 20 centimeters high.

Inflorescences in marigolds are also divided into three main types:

• simple;
• terry;
• semi-double.

Among the popular varieties of annuals, such varieties should be distinguished.

The culture in the process of growth forms a sprawling bush up to half a meter high, with highly developed branchy shoots. The predominant color of the shoots will be green, with a burgundy bloom. Ribbed foliage, semi-double inflorescences, no more than 5 centimeters in diameter. The color of the flowers is yellow. The plant enters the flowering phase quite early, as a rule, the first marigolds appear in June.

Miniature culture, its height is about 20 centimeters. Tagetes of this variety are distinguished by an abundance of leaves of a rich green color. Terry inflorescences, their diameter does not exceed 3-4 centimeters, the color is golden, with red reed flowers. The culture blooms from the first weeks of June until the arrival of autumn.

In this variety, the inflorescences will be larger than that of other flowers, their diameter will be 7-8 centimeters, with a red-bronze color. Flowers under the influence of ultraviolet radiation can slightly change their color, acquiring a brown tint.

The culture will grow small in height, with actively developed branchy shoots, the plant itself will have a rounded shape. Terry inflorescences, rich green foliage, with red ribs. The flowers are bright yellow. A versatile plant that is suitable for cultivation in any conditions.

The plant consists of strong shoots, a large amount of greenery and small chrysanthemum inflorescences. The flowers will have a tubular shape of orange petals with red strokes.

A large and spreading bush, the height of which can reach 60-70 centimeters. The flowers are brown-red in color. The culture manifests itself well in cutting, begins to bloom quite early - from the first weeks of June.

The annual does not stand out for its size, an adult bush will grow by 30-35 centimeters, while the plant in the flowerbed will look quite neat and compact. Terry inflorescences, with red blotches.

"Aluminum" blooms with vanilla-cream flowers even in seedlings. The bush grows to a height of 20-30 centimeters. The plant tolerates light frosts well, as well as various unfavorable conditions, so the culture can be planted in open ground at the end of May.

The plant is a beautiful and compact shrub with erect shoots and branched lateral stems. The variety is distinguished by large inflorescences, reaching a diameter of 20 centimeters. The flowers are colored orange-yellow, in light of which the variety is often referred to as a "two-color giant".

In addition to the above varieties of rejected marigolds, flower growers are actively growing the following crops:

• "Carmen";
• Bonanza Flame;
• Rusti Red;
• Durango Ed;
• Bonanza Gold
• Bonanza Harmony;
• Bonanza Orange;
• Bonanza Yellow;
• "Petit a mixture of paints."

Cultivation of marigolds involves sowing seeds directly into open ground or for preliminary cultivation of seedlings indoors. On the flowerbed, work can be carried out already in May, as a rule, in a week and a half, you can expect the first shoots to appear. To protect young seedlings from frost, planting in open ground involves covering the flower bed with non-woven material.

Crops stand out for their good resistance to changes in outdoor conditions, however, they require compliance with certain requirements for care and placement.

When growing marigolds in the open field, you should select areas with nutrient soil with neutral acidity.To make the land most suitable for growing flowers, sand and peat, as well as mineral complex fertilizers, can be added to it. The place should be selected depending on the size of the planted variety. As a rule, miniature crops prefer to root in the center of flower beds or along paths. Also, small flowering bushes are more suitable for cultivation in pots.

Despite their unpretentiousness, marigolds will thrive only with sufficient lighting, in addition, crops require warmth.

Young rejected marigolds will require special attention from the gardener regarding hydration. At first, plants will need regular and abundant watering to build up green mass. Also, the moisture level will play an important role when setting the buds. By mid-summer, the frequency and abundance of watering can be reduced, since flowering crops will cope better with drought than with waterlogging, which can provoke root rot.

Young marigolds are watered daily in spring and until mid-summer; after the introduction of moisture, it is recommended to loosen the ground in order to establish aeration. In addition to watering, caring for marigolds requires the removal of faded buds and dry foliage. To stimulate growth and increase the decorative effect of the flower bed, you can trim the plants. Such work is usually carried out in the summer.

As the experience of growing marigolds shows, their main advantage is immunity to most ailments and resistance to attacks of insect pests. This is due to the presence of phytoncides in plants, which scare off many insects. However, the peculiarities of weather conditions or other nuances can provoke the development of putrefactive processes not only at the roots, but also at the inflorescences of the culture. To normalize the state of the plants, the level of soil moisture in the flower bed should be adjusted, and if necessary, the crops should be transplanted.

As for prolonged drought, spider mites may appear on the flowers. To combat the pest, first of all, it is necessary to increase the humidity, for this it is recommended to spray the flowers several times a day, especially in summer. As another effective method of pest control, gardeners use spraying with onion infusion, as well as a decoction of yarrow or hot red pepper. Slugs and snails can also attack crops. Their presence can be detected by the shiny marks on the leaves.

Marigolds can be affected by blackleg, especially young crops. A sign of the disease is the appearance of a whitish coating on the stem, which subsequently darkens, and the affected part begins to rot. Such a disease cannot be treated, so infected crops will need to be dug up and burned. The soil after the plants is subject to disinfection. As a preventive measure to reduce the risk of damage to plants by such a disease, is the treatment of seed material before planting with fungicides along with the soil in which it is planned to grow flowering crops.

Adult marigolds can suffer from root rot. Yellow leaves, as well as slow growth of annuals, will become manifestations of the disease. Such cultures cannot be treated, they are also removed. In this situation, proper care of the flower bed will be a preventive measure.... It boils down to the rooting of flowers in loose soil, regular moistening, excluding an excess of moisture in the soil, as well as the introduction of organic matter as a top dressing.

The culture is propagated by seeds, they can be germinated by seedlings or immediately sown into the ground.

Seedlings of rejected marigolds can be grown from the first weeks of April, such crops will bloom in June. Seeds can be germinated at home or in a greenhouse. Growing will require containers with a substrate consisting of humus, peat, turf and sand. For the appearance of sprouts, the seeds will need a temperature within + 18-22 degrees, as well as regular, but moderate moisture as the soil dries. A suitable container for seedlings will be pots, and even boxes, on the bottom of which a drainage layer is laid, and holes should be made in the container for excess moisture to escape. Seedlings can be planted in the garden as early as May.

Seeds in open ground are planted in specially made grooves, at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other. It is necessary to deepen the planting material into the ground by no more than 2 centimeters. Such crops can bloom a little later, but they will develop no less actively afterwards.

Marigolds, due to their bright color and expressive flowering, can become an excellent component of flower beds, advantageously standing out against the background of other cultures. Orange flowers will perfectly contrast with any planting, forming a beautiful composition of fresh greenery and colorful blooms.

No less expressive will be the flower beds in the garden, where marigolds will be the main and only culture. Luscious greenery and a riot of colors will become the "highlight" of the entire landscape design, guaranteed to attract attention with the beauty and originality of the flora.

Sowing marigold seedlings is described in the next video.